Made For You
by ApocalypticSun
Summary: Elena found new student Stefan very attractive, and just as intriguing. Then she met his brother. Strangely, just being near him seems to light her on fire and fill her with comfort... An AU rewrite where Elena falls for Damon. Damon/ Elena
1. Chapter 1

**This is a story. An awesome story. Enjoy... or else.**

**First Hoppin' Chapter:**

_Into the woods. Through the forest. Within the trees. Amongst the brush. Under the brush are the corpses of dead bunny rabbits that Stefan has slaughtered._

The full moon cast an eery glow on the drunken teenagers. Separated from the party, Elena averted her eyes from the way the pale skin of the guy beside her reflected the moonlight. She tried to blink away the lights in front of her eyes; she'd stick to examining him in the reflection of the water below. She fidgeted under his intense gaze that seemed to crawl under her skin.

The silence was short lived as he soon broke it, the sound of his honey smooth voice traveling to her ears. "So, how are you liking the party?"

She pondered her response for a moment before actually answering. "It seems nice..." _If only Jeremy was more responsible..._

The awkwardness was back. As nice as his voice might have been, he sucked at small talk. Then again, so did she. "So, um..."

"He's been staring for a while."

Elena frowned, following his gaze. _Oh. Matt_. "He's just watching out for me. We were dating, but... Do you have any ex stories to tell?"

"There was one once... but that was a long time ago." His face turned dark, showing his dislike for the subject. Elena was more than eager to hear more about his past, but he was obviously not interested in telling her any more than that little tease. "Are you thirsty? I'm going to go and get some drinks." He turned and started to walk to the destination of drinks.

Elena stared after him, baffled as he just ditched her. _No, he didn't ditch me. He'll be back after he gets the drinks_.

B.G.

Cerulean eyes watched from the shadows, white teeth reflecting the light as a smirk lit a predator's face. Just like Stefan to leave a pretty girl alone, separated from the rest of the party. They were all probably too drunk to even notice if he ripped someone's throat out.

Not like he was going to rip _this _girl's throat out. He looked her over, enthralled by her resemblance to Katherine. No, she didn't resemble Katherine; she was identical. He tightened his grip on the diary he had picked up in a certain graveyard. Now was the perfect opportunity.

Her striking features seemed to become more real as he approached her, growing closer to the moment that he had been waiting for. Joining her on the bridge, he was now inches away from this girl whose very scent reminded him of _her_...

"Now, what's a beautiful girl doing out on her own, away from the party?" he asked, tantalized as she turned around to face him, now closer than she ever had been. He took a moment to appreciate her straight brown hair and soft, gentle brown eyes. No, she was not Katherine.

For a moment, it seemed as if her gaze had possessed his very being. A drunken shout managed to shake him out of it, if only slightly. It seemed to do the same to her, as she answered, "I was with someone, but he's getting drinks..." Her voice trailed off, tinted with hurt.

"I could walk you back to the party," he offered. "Maybe he got held up." That last part was his alternative to saying, _'Anyone that can leave your side for more than five minutes isn't worth your time_.'

"Yeah... maybe." As she gave him a small smile, he had to bite back a smirk. From what he had seen, Stefan hadn't gotten her to smile once all night.

S.W.

The walk back was one of silence, not the awkward silence she had felt with Stefan earlier, but one of comfort. It seemed that as they walked through the still woods, the occasional shout from an underage drinker, they were beginning to learn more about each other. It was as if they were connecting even without words. Things spoken could not mean as much as their silent trek.

"Here you are, m'lady," the dark-haired stranger said as he lead her into the main party area. She smiled up at him, but before she could reply Caroline threw herself upon them.

"Elena! I've been looking all over for you! This guy was so rude-" She broke off and stared at Damon in awe. "And who's your friend?"

"Wait, did you say Elena?" the azure-eyed male asked.

"Yeah, that's me," the brunette replied.

"Elena Gilbert?"

"How did you know?" Confusion was apparent in her eyes and she tilted her head in an inquiring manner.

He held up the book that he had kept stashed in his inner jacket pocket. "I found this in the cemetery the other day. It said it belonged to Elena Gilbert."

She took it from him, at first slowly, before clutching it tightly to her chest. "Thank you so much. I've been going crazy without it."

"What were you doing, carrying it around with you?" Caroline asked of him, raising a brow.

"I've been keeping it on me, in case I ran into the owner," he answered.

Elena was joyful to be reunited with her precious diary, as it had been a gift from her recently deceased mother... She was about to thank the man again when she found him gone. He disappeared and instants later, Stefan stood in his place. Caroline seemed confused and wandered off, possibly to try to find him.

"Hey, Elena..." Stefan had his thumbs in his back pockets, a display of nervousness. He held no drinks, not that they could make up for what he was doing for the past... 15 minutes? Half an hour? She felt like yelling at him, demanding him where the Hell he had been! But she didn't. Instead she kept her cool and simply counted backwards from twenty while he stood like a guilty convict in front of her; waiting for her to say something.

"No drinks? Did they run out?" she asked, unable to keep some amount of sarcasm from creeping into her voice.

He stared for a moment, and she realized she had demanded what he was doing without actually asking. "I... had to stop a fight. Two drunk people... they were beating each other up pretty badly. There was blood."

She frowned at his strange explanation. "Yeah. That makes a ton of sense." She shook her head at his strangeness. "It's late. I should get going."

"I can walk you home."

"_No,_" she said, realizing how harshly she had said it when he flinched. "I just... could use the silence. After being at this loud party, I mean."

"Oh. Right," he said, voice nearly desolate. "I'll see you at school, then."

She walked silently through the streets, hoping that Jeremy would be alright without her there. No, she couldn't watch him forever. He needed to be responsible for himself; otherwise he'd never grow up.

She clutched her diary closer to her chest as she walked briskly through the dark night. Maybe she should have accepted Stefan's offer? Still, she knew that she had done the right thing. Had she said yes, her mind would have been glued to the stranger who had given her back her beloved diary (not that it wasn't still).

She realized with a pang that she had forgotten to ask him his name. The memory of his hand brushing hers as he handed her the diary back and the sparks that ignited within her skin as a reaction to his touch still lingered in her mind. She wondered then where he had disappeared to.

She shivered, feeling as if eyes were on her. She glanced around, not seeing a thing. Strangely, the feeling was not completely uncomfortable. It also left her feeling... safe.

Little did she know, a piercing blue gaze watched over her as she made her way home.

B.G.

Arriving home, Stefan was confused. _What had happened tonight? _Elena had been with someone. Someone with dark hair. He had brought her back to the party. There's no way... he hadn't seen him in years. Why appear now? Of course, he knew the answer. Damon would be attracted to this town for the same reason as he.

Still, he could just be being paranoid. The animal attacks could have been just that. And a lot of people have dark hair. Plus, who wouldn't want to escort a girl as pretty as Elena back to a party?

Feeling rather confident in his conclusion, Stefan headed upstairs. He'd try to make things right with Elena in the morning. She was conveniently in his first, third and fifth periods, allowing him to see her every other period. That should give him plenty of time to apologize for leaving her alone on the bridge.

He opened his bedroom door, prepared to finally get to sit down at his desk and spill his heart out to his journal. His bedroom was his only reprieve from the exhausting world outside.

As he opened the door, a familiar person coming into view, he felt his heart clench in despair. _Please, let this be a bad dream... _

"Hello, little brother."

S.W.

_**Apocalyptic:** So, constructive criticism, general comments, thoughts, and encouragements? They equal love._

_**Sun:** As my sis said, double the love here! (Thanks for reading too! That in itself makes you amazing...)_

_**Disclaimer:**_ _We do not own The Vampires Diaries, although we both do agree that if we could have Damon for a day or two... ((wink, wink))_


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks everyone for your reviews. We just about died when we saw the amount of story alerts and favorites and the reviews caused our fingers to fly to the computer and type this up... **

**Second Surfin' Chapter **_(Cause bunnies surf...)_

_Swimming in the water. Wading through the pool. Trudging through the marsh. Paddling through the pond. Hidden beneath the shimmery surface of H2O are the murdered bunnies of Stefan. _

As he opened the door, a familiar person coming into view, he felt his heart clench in despair. _Please, let this be a bad dream... _

"Hello, little brother."

"Damon." The single word said more than anything else he could have said. Reality sunk in and inside, Stefan was panicking. He didn't let it show though. He would not give Damon the satisfaction of seeing how his sudden appearance effected him. "What are you doing here?"

"You know, just visiting a certain... Katherine look-alike..." His voice trailed off, leaving Stefan on edge. Why did he have to be here now?

Stefan found his nails digging into his palms as he resisted the urge to punch his brother square in the jaw. "Stay away from her."

Damon merely laughed. "Is that an invitation?"

"I mean it, Damon. She's off limits."

"For someone off limits, she was very available last night. _Someone _left her all alone on a bridge." Damon picked up one of Stefan's diaries, flipping it open to a random page. "Bad move on your part. Good thing I was there."

Stefan made a grab for his diary, rolling his eyes when it was merely held out of reach. "I got distracted by..."

"...the bleeding drunks. I know. I compelled them to fight," said Damon, and Stefan wanted little more than to beat the smug smirk from his features. "Still, I don't see why anyone who truly cared about a girl would leave her all alone; even if they were a vampire and there was blood nearby."

"Are you suggesting that I don't care about Elena?" Stefan asked, eyes alight with fury.

Damon shrugged, walking over to the desk sitting by the window. He leaned against it, eyes scanning over the hand written text held within his little brother's diary. "I'm just saying, you'd think people would be more careful with the things that mean a lot to them... especially with all those animal attacks."

"And she's so safe with the animal that caused the attacks?" Stefan asked with obvious sarcasm.

"I wouldn't let _anything _bad happen to her," Damon retaliated, as if suggesting that he would be the better choice for her. "Including anyone who might potentially hurt her by leaving her on a bridge all alone."

"No one's better off with you, Damon. Are you even capable of emotions anymore?" It was meant to make a point, and ease Stefan's irritation. He was thus taken aback at the anger flashing in ice-blue eyes.

"Let's have Elena be the judge of that."

"Damon-" Stefan broke off, finding that his brother had vanished. He combed his fingers through his hair, gritting his teeth. He would find out what Damon was up to. And then? Then he'd make Damon regret ever coming to Mystic Falls.

B.G.

Elena sat in her first period class, staring blankly at the wall. She had tried to write something in her diary last night. Anything to work out the conflicted emotions she was feeling when it came to Stefan, but all she could think of was the spark of her hand brushing another's.

She was shaken out of her daze when Stefan entered the class, looking a bit shaken up. He took his seat just as the bell rang and she couldn't help but wonder why he was almost late. He looked awfully tired and there seemed to be worry in his eyes. He glanced over at Elena and she looked away, not wanting to be caught staring.

The class seemed to last for years, and if it wasn't for the clock on the wall she would have thought she had been stuck in history for hours. She made her way out of the classroom, relieved to have the break of a passing period.

"Elena?"

She barely managed to hold back a groan. She didn't want to talk to him until she managed to sort out her inner turmoil. She threw on a fake smile as she turned to look at Stefan. "Yeah?"

"About last night... were you with someone?"

She stared for a moment, wondering if he had actually just said that. Had _she _been with someone? "Actually, yes. Once I was ditched on a bridge, someone was kind enough to escort me back to the party." She found her anger rise when he merely seemed worried instead of guilty.

"Do you remember who it was? A name, or what the person looked like?"

Elena scoffed. She couldn't help herself. How could he have the gall to ask her that? "Were you with someone, Stefan? For the thirty plus minutes you were gone 'getting drinks'?"

S.W.

Stefan was too worried about Elena possibly spending time with his brother to realize how upset she really was. He needed to know; to truly know for sure whether or not she had come in contact with the very person who had made it his soul purpose to ruin Stefan's life.

"Elena, please. Can't you just tell me his name?"

"I can't believe this..." She stared at Stefan for a moment, as if to see if he was joking or whether he was actually serious. He didn't understand her angle, not thinking that she didn't know of the possible danger she could be in. "I didn't ask him his name, ok?" She turned to walk away.

Stefan put out an arm to stop her. He was worried about her. Couldn't she see that? Quickly, he pulled a small box out of his jacket pocket. "Elena, just please, wear this." He handed it to her and slowly, she opened it. An ornate, silver-chained necklace was revealed.

"Thanks..." She walked away, looking confused. Stefan wondered what he had done wrong.

B.G.

Elena made her way to P.E, thoughtlessly shifting the necklace from hand to hand. Why had he given it to her? And why was he being so insistent about knowing who she had spoken to the previous night?

"Elena! Hey!"

She turned to face her brother, taken aback by the worry evident in his features. "Jeremy. What's wrong?"

"Have you seen Vicki?" he asked.

"...no, but I don't normally look for her. Why?"

"I just haven't seen her since last night. At the party."

"Well... if I see her, I'll text you."

"Vicki?" asked a familiar voice. Elena turned around, spotting Matt. "I just got news that she's in the hospital."

"Is she alright?" asked Jeremy.

Matt seemed to pause. Elena thought that he might have been surprised by the sincere concern in her brother's voice. "I'm not sure. I just know that she was found barely alive in a river."

"In a river?" Elena asked. "Do you know why she was... in a river?" It all sounded a bit odd.

"Knowing Vicki, she was probably drunk and slipped," Matt replied, bitterness in his voice due to his sister's irresponsibility. "I'm going to visit her after school and see what she remembers. That is, if she's awake."

"Awake?" Jeremy asked as they walked closer to their destination of classes.

"Yeah, she had lost a lot of blood, most likely from the fall... Anyway, when I got the call, they said she hadn't waken up yet."

"I hope she's alright," Elena said, remembering the death of her parents. The river.. the hospital... It all hit too close to home.

S.W.

The sounds of glass clinking against tables and the shouts of happy teens filled the air. Elena sat alone at her own booth in The Grill, glancing at the time on her cell phone. 6:50. She had agreed to meet Stefan after school at 5:30.

Why was she even still waiting? He had stood her up, and not for the first time.

"Elena," Matt greeted.

She offered him a weak smile. "Hey." She glanced meaningfully at the empty seat across from her. When he took it, she asked, "So? Did you see Vicki?"

"I did," he replied, twiddling his thumbs in front of him thoughtfully.

"And...?" Elena asked, wondering if there was more. "Was she awake? Is she going to be alright?"

"I don't know. The doctors won't say anything, so that has me worried." He seemed to think for another second, as if debating whether or not to tell her something. "But she did wake up for a second while I was there..."

"She did? Did she say anything? Like how she ended up in a river?"

"Well... She said that it was a vampire."

"A... vampire."

"Yeah." He looked equally as perplexed.

"That's different. Maybe she was confused? Maybe it was a vampire _bat_? It might have frightened her and caused her to slip into the water." Elena was trying to make some sense out of what Matt had told her.

"I don't think so. I think she was too drunk to remember anything."

Before Elena could reply, Mister Late made his appearance. She wondered why he had even bothered to show up. Most girls would have left by the two hour mark...

"Hey, Elena." He walked up to her, glancing at Matt.

"Finally decided to come? Did your watch set back a couple hours or something? Or did you have to stop a fight on the way here?"

"Right, leaving now." Matt took that as his cue to get out of there.

"Listen, Elena, I got held up. I'm sorry-"

"Held up again? This time for _two _hours? Are you always going to blow me off like this?" She was irritated and now that she had waited all afternoon for him to finally appear she found that she no longer wanted to spend any time with him.

"Wait, did Matt say that Vicki woke up?" Stefan asked, disregarding what Elena had said.

"Did you not just hear what I said?" She sighed. "Yes. Vicki is awake. Matt had time to go all the way to the hospital and still come here. Had he not talked to me I would have been sitting here alone all night."

"Sorry, again," he said, the words flowing too easily to be believable. "Did she say what happened to her?"

Elena rolled her eyes, giving up on him. Yes, what happened to Vicki was terrible. Still, it seemed as if it was all he cared about. Perhaps if he had wanted to talk about it _two hours ago_ she wouldn't be as upset. "She said a vampire attacked her."

"A... vampire? Are you sure?"

"That's what she said."

He frowned. Perhaps he finally realized what a jerk he was being? "I have to go." Apparently not.

"God, why do I even bother with you?" she demanded, only to find him already gone.

B.G.

Fuming, Elena was heading down the street on her way home. She had _wasted _her whole day with Stefan. Every time she tried to talk to him, he'd just leave. Then she waited all afternoon for him to make up for abandoning her the other day only to be blown off again.

Suddenly home wasn't as desirable. If she ignored life and simply wrote it down nothing would be solved. No, she would go and demand what game he was playing. Did he like her at all? Or was he just trying to use her to fit in?

It was true, she didn't know his side or his reasons, but that's because he blocked her out. If he could only tell her something about his past, or even why he was so interested in the man that had returned her diary... Then maybe, _maybe _she'd give him another chance.

Heading to the mansion-like house that he lived in, she was determined to figure things out. She would get everything out of the shadows.

She approached a door that was just as old as the rest of the house, raising her hand to give it a few hard knocks. She waited.

And waited.

And- No, she had done enough waiting that very evening. If she was to be honest, she had done plenty of waiting ever since she had met Stefan. If he wasn't home, then she could just wait for him inside. He had said he lived alone with his Uncle.

The door squeaked eerily as she opened it, and she couldn't help but keep her steps slow, even, and silent as she walked. She gazed around, taking in the magnificent, spacious rooms. Ornate decorations could be seen, from crystal chandeliers to long tables with high-backed wooden seats. The place looked like it had hardly been touched in decades.

A black and white picture on a shelf caught her eye. Without thought, she picked it up. Within the frame were two young boys, the smaller one holding up a big fish. The older one looked proud of the younger, arm wrapped around said younger brother and smile bright.

"I see you've made yourself at home."

Elena jumped, spinning around at the vaguely familiar voice. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, and the sight of a brown haired, blue eyed stranger didn't help calm her down.

It wasn't any stranger, either. It was _the _stranger, that had gone out of his way to be kind to her at the school party. "You're... you're Stefan's uncle?" She narrowed her eyes. They did look related, but how could his uncle be so close in age to him? It wasn't an impossible occurrence. It just wasn't at all what she had expected.

"Uncle?" he asked, and she was relieved when he laughed. "No. I'm his brother."

"His brother? He didn't say he had one..."

"That's because he's jealous of my devilishly good looks. Anyway, he's not one to brag."

She couldn't help but smile at his humor. Still, she was troubled that even after she had gone out of her way to ask Stefan if he had any siblings, he didn't tell her of his brother. It appeared they were living together as well... Maybe that was why he had been so intent on finding out who had brought her back to the party? Did he not want her to know anything about him? His mystery act was getting a bit old.

"Is this you and Stefan?" she asked, holding up the picture.

He took the picture and looked at it, eyes showing remembrance. "It is. He used to love to go fishing with me... but that was back when he was still fun."

Elena placed a hand on his forearm, wanting to make the pain in his eyes disappear. She immediately felt like she was where she belonged; she never wanted to let him go. "What happened?"

"Stefan and I just-"

"Damon, Elena... I see you're getting along nicely."

"Yeah, little bro, I was just telling her about how much fun you used to be." He held up the picture. "Remember this? You were so excited when you caught that fish. Pops was too."

Stefan walked over and snatched the photo out of Damon's hands. "Elena, I think you should leave." He didn't even look at her when he addressed her, just stared at his brother with hate-filled eyes.

"I came here to talk to you about-"

"Now's not a good time," said Stefan, cutting off Elena.

"I just want to know-"

"Elena. I'll talk to you at school tomorrow." Still, he stared at his brother.

"Ok... Well, bye Damon, nice meeting you." She gave him a quick, small hug before maneuvering her way around Stefan and heading to the door.

"You're welcome to stop by any time," Damon called to her.

She didn't even try to hold back her smile, ignoring Stefan. If he was going to ignore her... "Thanks. I think I will."

As she left the Salvatore mansion, she found herself remembering how warm she felt in Damon's embrace. Her initial purpose for going may not have been achieved, but, then again, she liked the unexpected turn of events a lot more.

S.W.

_**Sun**: Woot! Yeah Elena for finally figuring out who (for the most part) Damon is! _

_**Apocalyptic**:I find it adorable. Poor Stefan. The funny thing is that he pretty much acted like that in the show, too. Elena just hadn't been quite as aware of Damon's complete and utter awesomeness. (Though I'm sure she still knew at a subconscious level)._

_**Sun: **Definitely. Well, what did you guys think? Any thoughts, opinions, questions, feedback...?_

_**Apocalyptic**: ...constructive criticism, a little, "Hey!" to let us know you're reading and want us to continue. :D I hope the smiley I just made shows up..._

_**Disclaimer: **We do not own, nor claim, The Vampire Diaries... Although, I do however claim the Thrifty's chocolate malt in our freezer... (None for Apocalyptic, all for me!) Hehe... yeah._


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! Sun here, along with Apocalyptic! Bringing you, in our seasonal spirit, the next chapter! Imagine that... So kind of our school to have conveniently put a two week break in a time without much writer's block. :D Thank you school!**

**Anyway, thank you ever so much for all your reviews! We love 'em! You guys rock!**

S.W.

_Burning in the fire. Flaking in the flame. Melting in the sun's blaze. Charring in a hot crematorium. Branches alight to rid the world of the scent of the bunny blood that has been spent. _

Vicki was dead. Jeremy stared at her lifeless form, nearly imagining that she was still alive. She had been painted to look good in her open-casket funeral, and looked even more beautiful than she had in life.

The last thing she had said to him... how he wanted to screw and screw with her. He wasn't sure whether she had meant her body or mind, but either way he found his throat closing up and eyes burning fiercely. If he had known it was the last time he would see her... Why hadn't he visited her in the hospital? Visitors outside of family weren't allowed, but he could have snuck in.

Tyler, who had been standing at the back of the church looking awkward, now approached the casket. Jeremy felt his anger towards his peer growing. In Vicki's last moments, Tyler had been trying to get into her pants. Jeremy couldn't help but think that this was _his _fault.

Tyler grew closer and it did not at all help to have him standing right next to the enraged teen, pretending that he cared.

"Man, I can't believe she's gone..." Running a hand through his hair, the jock looked blankly down at the unmoving form of the girl that he had now lost forever.

It took all Jeremy had not to shove him and ask him why he bothered to pretend. Was it for his reputation? The youngest Gilbert felt sick inside. He clenched his fists at his side. He wanted so badly to punch Tyler.

But now wasn't the time. Not here, in front of Vicki's corpse. _Vicki's corpse. _He took a deep breath, choking on repressed tears. He quickly turned, hitting his shoulder hard against Tyler's as he made his way to the door.

For once, Tyler didn't respond aggressively. Instead, he stared passively at the girl in the coffin.

B.G.

Elena sat in The Grill with Bonnie and Caroline. They were chatting about the usual things... Bonnie, trying to share the interesting tales her grandmother had told her, was rudely interrupted by Caroline who asked Elena about Stefan.

"I'm not really sure what to think right now. He's just so hard to communicate with..."

"So you guys haven't even kissed yet?"

"Um... no." Elena looked at Caroline with uncertainty in her eyes. "I don't even know if I feel that way about him. He did just move here."

"Well, I'm just saying, if _I _had him things would have progressed a lot more by now."

"Do you ever text him? Texting is the key to relationships. Especially when they're just starting," Bonnie informed.

"We never exchanged information." Elena sighed. "I think we missed that. I don't know, it's complicated..."

"Do you want to hear my advice?" asked Caroline.

"Not really," Bonnie muttered.

Caroline ignored this. "You're a girl. He's a guy. Boy plus girl... equals _sex_."

"Caroline!" Elena exclaimed, blushing. "I told you, we haven't even kissed!"

"But he _wants _to kiss you," Caroline said, knowingly. "The way he stares at you? Like you're a scrumptious dessert?"

Elena opened her mouth to retaliate, only to be cut off by Bonnie. "Caroline has a point. You can't just stay on the sidelines forever. If you want something, sometimes you have to go and get it."

Tilting her head, Elena was taken aback by a sudden revelation. An icy gaze flashed across her mind, and she shot to her feet. "You know what? You're right."

"About what?" questioned her blonde friend.

"If I want something, I shouldn't hold back." She felt a surge of confidence overflow her. She knew what she wanted. She had tried to deny it, but now that she actually acknowledged it, she couldn't push it out of her mind. And, somehow, she couldn't find it in her to feel guilty.

S.W.

Stefan entered The Grill, scanning the room for the familiar brunette that he was beginning to think of as "his girlfriend". Instead, he found her two friends chatting away excitedly at a table. An extra tray, emptied minus a couple of fries, sat next to them, suggesting the presence of the one he was looking for earlier. _Perhaps she's in the bathroom?_ he thought hopefully.

Approaching them, he awkwardly put his hands on the vacant third chair. "Hey, is Elena here?"

"No... actually she just left." Bonnie and Caroline exchanged confused glances.

"Oh." Disappointment laced his voice. "Well, thanks anyway." He was about to turn and leave when Bonnie's voice stopped him.

"Wait. I want to give you," she said searching through her purse and pulling out a paper which she quickly scribbled on, "Elena's number and email. You can text her any time if you want to talk to her, or plan anything... she loves to text, and you can tell her I said so."

He reached over to accept the small piece of paper, hand brushing with Bonnie's. She froze, eyes opening wide and staring blankly for moments that seemed to be eternity. "What's wrong with you?"

"Excuse me?"

She seemed to snap back to reality upon hearing Stefan's words of puzzlement. "Oh... I'm sorry. I'm just gonna go." Picking up her things, Bonnie was out of there faster than one of the bunnies that Stefan hunted. At the thought of blood, Stefan glanced at Caroline's neck. He turned and retreated, almost as fast as Bonnie had, leaving Caroline alone at an empty table, wondering what had happened.

"Ok. Bye?" she spoke to the empty air, as if to make herself feel better.

B.G.

Damon sipped from a cup of blood and wine, reclining on a sofa in the large living room. Things hadn't been going quite as planned. Yes, his _master _plan was going fine, but a certain girl was proving to be quite the distraction.

And it wasn't just the fact that Elena Gilbert was identical to Katherine (although that was definitely a big part of it). Whenever they touched... He had never experienced such a sensation before. The slightest brush of skin against skin and he found his insides churning with desire. He just had to avoid her.

Yes, messing with her would be the perfect way to anger Stefan, but he couldn't risk it. Not when she could so easily erase the goal he was so close to accomplishing clean from his mind.

"Damon?"

He couldn't help the groan that escaped him. _No_. He had finally found his resolve, only for _this_...

_Damn that girl_. _She needs to die_. He wished it was as simple as killing any other victim. Sadly, such was not the case.

"Hello?"

How could he possibly ignore her? No, how could he possibly _acknowledge_ her? That was what he should be thinking.

Then warm brown eyes were on his, and he could only curse the hold she somehow had over him. "Elena. What are you doing here?"

"The door was unlocked, so I thought it would be alright to come in. You did say I could stop by any time?" It was more of a question and Damon could tell. She was standing there in front of him, whatever resolve bringing her here slowly crumbling with her uncertainty of the situation.

"Yeah, welcome back to the _lovely_ Salvatore Boarding House," he said with a smirk in his voice, trying to keep his cool. "Stefan's not here right now though, so maybe you should stop by again later?"

"I didn't come here to visit Stefan."

"You... didn't?" There was a hesitation in Damon's voice as he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "So then, you came all the way here to see me?" He threw on a signature smirk, but it faded as she nodded.

"Yep. It seems silly now, but Bonnie and Caroline were talking about wanting things and how they don't always come to you..." she rambled on for a moment, trying to get the right words out. Damon simply watched her, a brow raised. "And so, I decided that I'd come to you because... Well, you're what I want," she finished in a single breath, face heating up with the passing seconds.

Damon just stared at her in utter disbelief. _No way! This is not happening. She's supposed to like _Stefan_! _Normally, he'd take advantage of Stefan's love interest declaring she wanted _him_. But, in this case, he couldn't put on a cocky smirk and make it into a game to torment his brother.

Why? Because she was _his _love interest, too. He blinked, as this realization set in. Looking up at her, he couldn't keep back a question that bothered him. "Stefan didn't put you up to this, did he?" Not like that was the best question. She could even be compelled, for all he knew. He could just imagine Stefan's taunting. He'd probably say something like, '_What, you thought she'd really go for you?_'

"Stefan has nothing to do with this," she said, even as the blush remained.

He stood up, looking into her eyes. He _had _to know. Eyes dilating and voice deepening a few octaves, he said, "Did Stefan put you up to this?"

He was taken aback at the anger suddenly flashing in brown depths. "I told you, he didn't."

So Stefan had vervain on her somewhere, probably through some form of jewelery. He couldn't spot the source, but that didn't really mean much.

Which meant that she was telling him the truth. Without conscious thought, he found himself pulling her into an embrace. When her arms slowly rose to return the hold, the tingles of before seemed to be nothing but a mere touch. It felt as if she had reached into his very soul- did that mean he had one, after all?- and he wanted nothing more than to stay this way forever.

A sudden feeling of coldness washed over him, as Elena's small form was pulled from him. Reality slammed into him, and he found anger and confusion filled eyes staring at him. Hurt was apparent in those familiar eyes and it took Damon a second or two to realize that his brother was now standing between them. He must have come in and caught them hugging. If he had known any of that which they had just shared, Stefan would have been more than just angry at the time.

"Stefan?" Elena's voice was weak.

The younger Salvatore seemed to be throwing daggers at his brother using only his eyes. Damon was surprised; Stefan had become scary.

"Elena, are you wearing that necklace I gave you?"

"Um..." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of jewelry. Damon recognized the muffled scent of vervain as he searched the air for it. "I have it with me."

Stefan relaxed, if only slightly, just to tense back up again as it seemed realization hit him. Damon would have smirked at a time like this, but the lingering feeling of Elena returning his embrace prevented his mind from even considering acting on it.

Damon _was _amused at the veins appearing below reddening eyes. Surprisingly, the sudden vamping out seemed to be in reaction to his revelation of Elena's willingness in prior events.

"Elena. You should leave," said Stefan, voice husky with lust for a kill. For _two _kills, if Damon was reading his brother correctly.

"I..."

"_Now_."

She opened her mouth, shut it, and opened it again. What could she possibly say? "Right."

She had barely turned before Damon's voice washed over her like a caress. "How did you get here?"

"I, um... walked."

Ignoring Stefan's worsening state, Damon continued, "It's late. I'll drive you home."

She glanced at Stefan, who had his back to her. She seemed to cringe at how he didn't even reprimand her. Damon knew the truth, though. Stefan _wanted _to say something to her. He just didn't want her to see his veiny, red-eyed face. "Uh... yeah. I'd appreciate that."

S.W.

Matt paced his room. Now that Vicki was gone, possibilities seemed to be jumping out of things that could potentially harm those he cared for. The first and foremost thing was Stefan Salvatore.

Exiting his house, Matt started towards the school. Everything about the new kid seemed off. It was as if, the moment he had been at the school, Elena had been the only thing he cared about. Never did he try to occupy his time with anything other than her. He didn't even want to get any guy friends to hang out and chat with. It was... _abnormal. _

Then there was that time at the hospital. No visitors other than immediate family had been allowed, yet he had caught Stefan exiting his sister's room shortly before she died. What if he had done something? Maybe a vampire really had attacked her...? Now he was sounding like some mourning lunatic trying to find logic where there wasn't any.

In any case, he found his feet carrying him to the office of the school. It was empty, being lunch break for the few faculty that were still there over the weekend. Without realizing what he was doing, Matt went to the file cabinets that held student information. He opened the one labeled M-Z and peered inside.

Sifting through the files, reading over the names, before he could stop himself, Matt pulled out the one labeled _Salvatore, Stefan. _He opened it, shocked to find nothing but a page with said Salvatore's name at the top of it. Why was it _blank? _He couldn't help but wonder...

This was not at all clearing his suspicion. Maybe Stefan really was the "vampire" that had attacked Vicki? Matt shook the idea from his mind, wondering where it had come from... he really needed to get out of there and to keep his mind from his sister's death. It had _not _been Stefan's fault... had it?

B.G.

_Sun: Don't worry Stefan, Elena really does love your brother, she could be your sister in law! :D (Lol, if only...)_

_Apocalyptic: For a second I thought you were gonna give a major spoiler, lolz. This chapter was... different. But fun. Kinda. Sorta. Definitely. Mayb-_

_Sun: Anyway, I know what she thinks now. Well not really? ((Gives sis a confused look))... But I wanna know what _you_ think! So go ahead. You know the temptation is so strong. Press the button and feel your life being complete... Review. :D See you next time!_

_Disclaimer: We do not own The Vampire Diaries, however much we love to play with the characters. If we did own them, Stefan and Damon would be a lot closer. But that's another story entirely. (quite literally, if we ever decide to put it down on paper. Which is quite tempting.)_


	4. Chapter 4

_Sun&Apocalyptic: Thank you to all those who reviewed! It truly did drive us to type up this chapter. It's extra long, just for you kind people!_

S.W.

_Eroding in the wind. Breaking apart in the sharp breeze. Suffocating without air. Listening to messages carried on a breath. The fur of dead bunnies floats in the air, going towards Stefan in a hope to kill him in retribution._

Elena hit her head against the desk, the resulting pain in her skull nothing compared to the mass of emotions twisted up within her. She took her time raising her head, grimacing when her eyes immediately went to Stefan. He hadn't spoken to her since the night before. Could she blame him, after what she had done?

_But... to him, didn't it look like Damon and I were just hugging? _In fact, there hadn't been any groping or kissing or anything of the sort. It could have been completely innocent without the electrifying sensations.

She had to make things right. She couldn't let things progress like this. Could she really date the brother of an almost-boyfriend?

_Yes_. She shook her head. What was wrong with her? And who's to say he'd even want to date... no, _be _with her? If she was to be with him at all, she couldn't imagine no _longer _being with him.

Elena tried to pull herself out of her chaotic mind to focus on the foreign language, but to no avail. She was still thinking about how she could make things right with Stefan. It would also be nice to know if the feelings of interest were one-sided or not... _No, _Elena scolded herself, _you don't even know your own feelings for Damon. _Once again she was thrown into the conflicts of life.

She cast her gaze to Stefan once more. He had his chin on his fist, staring blankly into space. She had never seen him appear so melancholic. She had to fix things.

S.W.

Bonnie tried her best to listen to her friend, holding back what she so desperately wanted to say. She was waiting for the right moment to break something strange to Elena.

"...Can you believe it? A stain on my _brand _new dress." Caroline seemed rather distressed about something so unimportant. It was nothing compared to the urgent matter Bonnie had to discus with Elena. She didn't really know why it was such a big deal... but when do you touch someone and feel _Death_?

Elena seemed distracted, holding the same apple, unbitten, for the past five minutes while staring into space. "Elena?" Bonnie cut off Caroline and searched her friend's face for some sort of recognition that she had spoken. She frowned upon seeing none. This time, she reached over to tap the brunette on the shoulder. The moment her fingers came in contact with her friend's bare shoulder she froze. An image of a bird flashed across her mind, along with that of fog and a man emerging out of said fog in a cemetery.

"Bonnie?"

Zapping out of her trance, two pairs of brown eyes met. Both of the two friends had been zoned out in some sort of way during the lunch period and Caroline was now frowning at their lack of interest in her fashion disaster.

"I'm..." Bonnie was confused. "When I touched you just then... I saw a bird."

"A... bird?" Elena stared at her friend blankly. "What?"

"Well... I saw a man and fog as well," she confessed. "You know what, never mind. Just forget I said anything." She paused for a second before looking up, a new flame kindling in her eyes. "But, the other day, when I touched Stefan at The Grill I got this bad feeling."

All of this was just a little bit too weird for Elena. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that when I touched him, a feeling washed over me. It was cold and desolate and... it was death." Bonnie was so certain of this and desperately wanted to keep her friend out of harm's way. Elena simply appeared taken aback to her though.

"Um... guys? I'm glad you're taking this time to have some creepy bonding or whatever, but I _was _talking..."

Bonnie glanced at the blond, trying to follow Elena's example and smile. She doubted hers looked nearly as sincere as Elena's. Bonnie had been attempting to get something urgent across to Elena, after all.

It was only when Elena said, "Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?" to them both that Bonnie realized the girl had actually been listening. Her voice was saccharine, eyes flashing briefly to Stefan. Something told Bonnie she and Caroline wouldn't be the only ones invited.

If there was one thing Elena had never been able to stand, it was conflict between her friends.

"I don't know. I'm really busy," Bonnie tried.

"Come on. You told me earlier you have nothing to do today," Elena said, encouragingly.

Bonnie couldn't help but let out a sigh. "Fine," she said in defeat. "Anyone other than..." She nodded in Stefan's direction. "...coming?"

"Well..." Elena bit her lip in contemplation. "I was thinking about inviting Damon."

"Damon?" Both girls seemed confused.

"Right, you guys haven't met him yet. Damon is Stefan's older brother. I think they have some sort of feud going on between them. It might be nice for them to spend a relaxing night where they could put aside their differences." She seemed to be working her thoughts out aloud.

"I'm in," Caroline said with a smile. "I only hope that this Damon is as hot as his brother."

B.G.

Matt searched through the city hall records via a computer. Stefan had said they had distant family that had lived here. They even had a house, so perhaps they had lived in Mystic Falls in the past. He typed _Salvatore _into the search engine.

There were a few articles, mostly involving how the Salvatore's had been part of the founding families. Their line had abruptly tapered off about 150 years ago, however. He paused at a particular video. He wasn't quite sure what it had to do with the Salvatores. It was about how an animal had attacked a man.

He realized the man that had been attacked was a Salvatore, and examined the black and white video closely.

_Wait... _He paused the video, rewinding a few frames. There... in the background... He zoomed in, examining familiar features. Was that Stefan Salvatore? He glanced at the date. 1952. He felt his features twist with his confusion. What could this mean? _It has to be a relative_.

Vicki's words came back to him, and, try as he might, he couldn't shake them. _"It was a vampire_._" _

S.W.

The dinner party was drawing closer every passing minute. Elena was nervous. She dumped the store bought food into fancy dishware, hoping that it could pass as gourmet. Smiling at this accomplishment, she called to Bonnie, asking her to find the big serving spoon for her. She had been surprised when in the next second, the very spoon she had been thinking of was thrust into her hand.

Elena didn't ponder her friend's quickness in finding the plastic-ware. Her mind was back to the Salvatore Boarding House earlier that evening. She remembered inviting Damon to the get-together. The way his eyebrows had quirked, and the phantom smile that wanted so desperately to grace her with its presence... They had her heart fluttering in her chest.

"Elena! I brought something for the dinner!"

Elena glanced at the clock upon hearing Caroline's voice. 5:25, and five minutes early. Bonnie must have let her in. "I thought you said you don't cook."

"Oh, I don't," said Caroline, coming into view. She handed a plate with chocolate chip cookies over. "The neighbors brought them over to my house."

Elena adjusted the silverware atop the kitchen table. Everything was _almost_ perfect. There was a knock on the door and she froze. They were here. Maybe this wasn't such a grand idea. Maybe she should cancel...

"Coming!" Elena forced herself to call out. She wiped off her hands on a paper towel before heading to the door. She took a deep breath, standing between the one thing that separated her from the two Salvatore brothers. She reached forward and turned the cold metal knob. Opening the door, slowly two pairs of shoes were revealed. One pair was black and shiny, while the other a light brown. She forced herself to raise her eyes and look at her guests.

"Hey, Elena," Damon greeted, seeming a bit tense upon seeing her again. Yesterday's events were still fresh in both of their minds; Elena was sure. Their brief meeting earlier, when she had invited him over, hadn't helped. There had been no touching, as Stefan was there as well, but that didn't make it any less awkward.

"May I come in?" Stefan asked politely.

"Of course." Elena moved out of the way and Stefan entered, seeming a bit smug for some reason. Damon stood there, staring at the door's frame with a small frown. "Are you coming?" she asked.

"If that's alright with you."

"Yeah, come on in." She glanced between the brothers, trying to figure out why entering seemed to be such a big deal to them. Damon had flashed a toothy grin at Stefan, who now seemed irritated.

It took them a while to take seats at the table, everyone seeming to fight over the spots. Elena had taken the seat beside Bonnie, and Damon and Stefan seemed to be having a silent fight for the chair next to her.

Bonnie seemed irritated. "Just sit down already."

Damon's eyes flashed with what seemed to be realization, as he took the seat _across _from Elena. Stefan seemed confused as to whether he had won or not as he took the previously-desired seat beside his 'girlfriend'.

An outsider looking in would think the dinner was going well. Caroline and Damon took turns at keeping a conversation going. Really, things were tense and awkward. Elena fought back a twinge of jealousy when Damon and Caroline spoke back and forth, remembering Caroline's earlier words. _"I only hope that this Damon is as hot as his brother."_

Then there was Stefan being his usual self. He said, "I'm glad you're wearing your necklace."

She didn't even try to keep from rolling her eyes. Not because he was protective of her and apparently superstitious (which was actually quite cute), but because he had cast an accusing glare at Damon.

It was with relief that Bonnie and Elena collected emptied dishes, the Never-Ending dinner disproving its title. _Thank God. _

She placed the dishes in the sink, turning the water on and turning it to hot so the temperature could adjust.

"Need help?"

Elena smiled upon hearing Damon. As awkward as it might have been with Stefan around, when alone all discomfort faded into the background.

"Here," said Bonnie, shattering the shared illusion of being the only ones in the world as she handed Damon a plate. For not the first time, she froze as her hand brushed against someone's skin. Eyes narrowing, she said, "She's with Stefan."

"Bonnie," Elena reprimanded, flushing red. What was with the random comment and sudden hate?

Bonnie glanced between them, before muttering an insincere apology and an excuse at why she had to leave. Elena made an attempt to convince her friend to stay, but she was already out the door.

"That was weird," Damon stated when Elena returned to the kitchen. She cast him an apologetic glance before picking up another dish and running it under the hot sink water.

"So, about the other day," she said, handing him the dish. Damon rose an inquiring eyebrow. "I'm sorry. Caroline and Bonnie were just talking to me about 'doing' and I just..."

"Did?"

She forced a small smile. "Yeah." She paused as she handed over another wet dish. Until then, she had been careful to avoid direct skin-to-skin contact, since the slightest brush of skin sent her senses swirling. Lost in her thoughts, she had failed to be so careful this time.

Actions seemed slowed as the space between them was closed. Thinking back at a later time, she wouldn't be able to recall when their lips had met, or who had started it. As for that very moment, she was drowning in sensation. Nothing seemed to matter outside of getting _more _of this man before her. Slender fingers tangled in dark brown hair, yanking him closer to her, deepening the kiss. Her friends being in the very next room had fallen from her mind entirely.

The sound of a dish falling, shattering, and clattering against the floor barely managed to pull Elena out of the daze. Such was apparently the case for Damon too, as he appeared just as drugged and intoxicated as she felt.

Still staring at each other, dazed from their trance, the two didn't realize that Stefan had walked in at the sound of the clattering dish until he made his presence known. "Elena, are you alright?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

Being completely snapped out of the previous moment, Elena shifted slightly away from Damon. She noted Stefan staring hatefully at his brother and instantly her heart rate increased. Had he seen? No, he couldn't have. Could he?

Turning away, she went to get a broom and dustpan, mumbling something about her well-being and the dish slipping. This didn't seem to satisfy Stefan, for when she turned back around, broom in hand, he was still shooting daggers at his brother with his eyes.

"Are you sure you're ok?" he asked, and she could have sworn that he had glanced at her neck. She raised a hand, unconsciously feeling where his gaze had been. Fingers brushed the cold metal of her necklace.

"Yes, I'm fine. I guess I didn't get all the soap off the dish." If he didn't know then she wasn't going to tip him off, and if he did... Well, there was nothing she could do about it.

"Damon, why don't you go and talk to Caroline, I think she wanted to ask you a couple questions."

At the sound of this, Elena's heart dropped._ Don't go to__** her**_. Damon and Stefan locked eyes for a moment. In a silent conversation, maybe. Without a word, the older Salvatore left the room.

Immediately, she found Stefan at her side, green eyes looking her over. She shivered under his intense gaze. She couldn't help but think he was looking for specific things. What things, she couldn't even begin to fathom. Lifting her hands, she said, "I told you, I'm fine."

It was another long moment before he looked her in the eyes. "You should stay away from Damon."

Elena raised a brow at this. "Yeah, I'll just ignore him completely. It's not like he's your brother, and always around."

"I'm serious, Elena. He's not what he appears to be."

She searched his eyes for where this was coming from. Perhaps he had seen more than she thought. Perhaps he was the possessive-boyfriend type. _**Perhaps **__he has a right to be_, she thought, grimacing. She was angry at him for being so jealous, but she had just been _kissing his brother_. While Stefan was just in the other room, on top of that.

She allowed him to take her hands into his. The lack of sparks left her feeling empty. This wasn't who she wanted to be with. Guilt tugged at her, however, and she found herself agreeing to go on a date with him the following night. Just the two of them, this time.

_Good going, Elena_, were her sarcastic thoughts.

B.G.

Listening in on Stefan and Elena's conversation, Damon couldn't help but glare at the kitchen door. She had agreed on having dinner with his little brother right after kissing him, Damon.

The dark haired brother barely stopped the growl building in his throat from escaping his lips. Caroline seemed ignorant of his lack of interest in her words.

The door opened and Damon swore he could have murdered his brother right then and there. They walked through the door, fingers interlaced. He didn't know why it was bothering him so much. He should be happy. Maybe if she made him angry enough he would stop getting those tingles and his emotions when around her would stop swamping him... He needed to think about the sole reason for his return to Mystic Falls.

Katherine.

Still, when they sat down on the sofa across from him, he couldn't help but bring her up. Katherine was Stefan's ex as well and Elena ought to know about her. "So, Stefan, I see you're moving on nicely."

The look on his brother's face was priceless. He immediately looked up, eyes pleading Damon not to do this.

"Moving on?" Elena asked in confusion. She looked at Damon for him to continue; to tell her something more of Stefan's past.

"Hasn't he told you about Katherine?" Upon seeing her glance at Stefan, Damon bit back a smirk. "Oh, haven't had the awkward ex conversation yet? Well, I'm sure it would have come up eventually. Why don't you tell her about Katherine, Stef?"

"Katherine is the past. That was a long time ago."

"It couldn't have been that long ago..." Elena commented, seeming to be doing math in her head of how long Stefan could have been dating.

"Yeah, it feels like yesterday to me," Damon chipped in, pleased at the glare that elicited from Stefan.

Elena's eyes were suddenly analytical, and Damon wondered if he had said something he shouldn't have. "So..." Her voice sounded innocent enough. "...which one of you dated her first?"

"What?" The word was spoken before either Salvatore could answer. Caroline had gone to the bathroom, presumably to fix her makeup, without anyone noticing. Now that she returned, she seemed to have only caught the last sentence of their conversation. "Who did they both date?"

"We should leave," Stefan said, abruptly. For once, Damon agreed with his brother. Bringing up Katherine had taken an unexpected turn, dragging up painful memories. How had Elena figured it out so easily? And the last thing he wanted to do was discuss the complicated relationship he and Stefan had had with Katherine, for Caroline's eager ears. "Zack's probably worried," Stefan added, when Elena gave the younger Salvatore a strange look.

So, saying a quick goodbye to Elena and ignoring Caroline, he made his way for the door. He blocked out Stefan's sickeningly sweet parting words to Elena. Otherwise, he might just rip his brother to shreds.

Reaching his original goal was going to be a lot harder than he had thought.

S.W

_Apocalyptic: Whoo, managed to finish this!_

_Sun: Yay for nocturnal animals! (Clock reading: 1:26 in the morning! Which is actually the night!)_

_Apocalyptic: So, please review. We'd love to know what you guys think. Was it any good? _

_Sun: Like my sis said, we really would love to know what you thought of the chappie. _

_Disclaimer: We do not own The Vampire Diaries... However, I (being Sun) do own that sherbert ice cream that I ate earlier today. You know, the one in the cone that I ate with all it's tasty goodness... Yum._

_-Apocalyptic and Sun resigning for some sleep_


	5. Chapter 5

_Icy water hits warm skin. Frozen branches move in the wind. Flames are put out in the cold wasteland. Blue eyes stare as the murderer of the bunnies strikes again..._

Cerulean eyes watched as two figures ate dinner. Standing outside of the restaurant and in the cold, Damon grimaced. He couldn't help but feel the slightest bit upset that she had agreed on going out on a date with his little brother _right _after kissing him. He scowled at the thought, still wanting to focus on getting Katherine out of the tomb. The Founder's Day Dance was coming, though; it would be his chance.

His hearing sharpened as he forced himself from his thoughts. They were speaking of Founder's Day. He focused back in on their conversation.

"_I don't know..._" That was Elena.

"_You said you don't feel close to me. This could help._"

When had _that _been said?

"_...sure. Yeah._"

Damon receded into the darkness, thinking on this new development.

B.G.

Staring at her front door, Elena rubbed her arm with a gloved hand out of nervousness. Her dress was beautiful and perfectly portrayed the time in which Mystic Falls had been settled. She stared at the door, awaiting the sounding bell to inform her of Stefan's arrival. Anxiously, she looked at her watch, wondering if he was going to be late.

At that thought, the doorbell rang and she hurriedly grabbed her small purse, heading to the door. She swiftly opened the door, hoping it would end her anxiety. Black, polished shoes. She slowly lifted her eyes, taking in the surprisingly-scrumptious form before her. Stefan had nice arms, but not quite _that _nice...

She blinked, eyes focusing on the person's face. "Damon?" She barely had time to take in his smug smirk before he was pushed aside, Stefan glaring at his brother.

"He refused to be left behind," Stefan said, exasperated. Elena could hardly keep back a grimace. She wished Stefan had brought someone unattractive along, because his attraction paled when he was next to Damon.

"My, my," said Damon, elbowing Stefan. "Doesn't she just look like she fell out of the 1850's?" Stefan shot a strange, irritated look at his brother, before reaching out a hand to Elena.

Eying the two of them strangely, she accepted Stefan's hand.

"Ready to go?" asked Stefan.

S.W.

Damon couldn't place the strange feeling in his chest, as he watched his brother dance with Elena. He shook his head. He had better things to do than watch Stefan and Elena all night. He needed to get his crystal.

"Well, _hello _there." The voice was accompanied by a pretty blond girl, a friend of Elena's. Damon could tell right away she had self esteem issues. Perfect.

"Caroline?" he asked, recalling her name as he flashed his bright blue eyes at her. It didn't even take compulsion to charm the average girl.

"That's me," she said, smile brightening at the attention. "And you're Damon, right?"

From the corner of his eye, he could see Elena looking at him. His smile was more of a smirk, really, as he took Caroline's hand. "You remember, but then again I'm hard to forget. Accompany me upstairs?"

B.G.

Matt crept up the staircase of the old, magnificent Salvatore house. Admittedly, what he was doing was stupid. Not to mention wrong. Sneaking into the house of anyone was bad, but someone that was possibly a vampire?

However, his sister had already died, and now Elena was surrounded by the possible murderer. He had to find something concrete. Something to prove to her that she wasn't safe. She may not have been with him anymore, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to still look out for her.

He flinched as the floor creaked loudly, even though he knew the brothers were at the Founder's Day Ball. He had taken the only chance he knew he could get, but still felt jumpy, as if he'd be caught any moment.

"What're you doing here?" came a voice.

Matt froze, looking down the staircase. At the bottom stood a brown haired, brown eyed man of average height. "I... uh... just..."

The guy raised a brow. "Snooping?"

"No!" Matt exclaimed, cursing how obvious he was being.

The man laughed. "Like I care. Go ahead. Just don't touch my room and we're good. But just be warned, if Damon finds out you touched his things, he won't be happy."

"Wait, what?" asked Matt, but the man was walking away, soon disappearing through a door. He was tempted to just leave right then, but he doubted he'd ever get an opportunity like this again. Taking a few deep breaths, he continued on his trek. He entered the first door he saw, finding a decent sized bedroom. Where to start?

He walked through the room, just glancing at everything, when a picture caught his eye. He stared at it, picking it up. It was attached to a piece of paper, with the name _Katherine _under it, as well as the date 1864. It fell from his trembling hand, as he stared at it with disbelief. The picture... was of Elena.

S.W.

Caroline giggled, following The Super Hot Guy up the stairs. "Where are we going?" she asked, grinning.

"Just going to find something that's mine," he said, guiding her into a room. She waited happily for some macking time. Any second now, and those perfect lips would be hers.

Suffice to say she was confused when he pulled apart a random jewelery box and took a gem out of it. "...what is that?"

"A crystal."

"And you're just gonna take it?" She reached out, and he lightly slapped her hands away. "That's stealing!"

"It's _not _stealing if I put it there. Now calm down."

"No, I am not going to calm down. You're breaking things and stealing things and..." She broke off as bright blue eyes locked with hers, gulping as he stepped closer. She took a step back, somehow feeling like she was in danger. A strong hand gripped her chin, as a compelling voice filled her head.

"You are going to calm down and forget all about this. Do you understand?"

She stared blankly, mind fuzzy. "I understand." She said the words, but neither felt nor heard them.

...what was she doing against the wall? Ooo, Mr. Hottie was cupping her face with his hand. Where had she been during this development? Well, no time like the present... She leaned in for a kiss.

Except... she was all alone. "Damon?" she called out. "Hello?" Frowning, she left the room, peeking around for the guy. Maybe he'd gone to the bathroom...? She descended the stairs, glancing over the dance floor. Her eyes narrowed when she spotted him. He was approaching Elena and Stefan. _Of course. He wants Elena... _

She wasn't going to let him get away that easily.

B.G.

"Your ancestors... also signed this registry?" Elena traced the names through the protective glass. Damon and Stefan Salvatore... their names were on the original registry... "Why do they have the same exact names?" She glanced at Stefan.

"That's because-"

"The original Salvatore brothers."

She glanced up, surprised to see Damon standing there. "Original Salvatore brothers?" she repeated. Stefan placed a hand on her back. Possessively, perhaps? She wanted to move away from him, but didn't know how to without being rude. And besides, why was it she didn't want him touching her possessively when Damon was around? Why did it even matter? "Let's not bore her with family history."

"No, that's not boring. I'd love to hear about it," she said, taking a step towards Damon. Stefan stepped with her, as to keep his hand on her back.

"Hey you," Caroline said, coming out of nowhere and resting a hand on Damon's shoulder. Elena couldn't help the anger that rose up within her at the gesture. "Want to dance?"

"Actually, I was telling Elena here a story. Why don't you and Stefan dance?"

At the suggestion Caroline rolled her eyes. "Because I want to dance with you. Besides, Stefan is here with Elena."

Damon seemed to fight back a frown with a tight lipped smile. "Very well then, Elena, would you like to dance?"

The brunette cast a glance at her date before taking Damon's hand and moving onto the floor with him. She tried to ignore the tingles that were spreading quickly through her being at the contact and keep in mind the reason for dancing with Damon. "You mentioned your ancestors?"

"Yes, the original Stefan and Damon Salvatore. We were actually named after them."

"What's their story?"

"Same as any, I suppose. They both fell in love with the same girl and ended up losing their lives for her. You see, we Salvatore brothers seem to have a curse in that department."

Though he hadn't shown it, she somehow felt a bitterness underlying his words. She gently squeezed his shoulder with her gloved hand, offering him a sympathetic smile.

No words followed, as sound was unnecessary. They moved together, fluidly, to the beat of the song, entranced by the gaze of each other, satisfied by the company of one another. His attention was solely directed at her, and it sent her heart aflutter, cheeks feeling warmer. Though she wasn't embarrassed. No embarrassment could exist in such a moment. No, she just felt... peaceful.

A voice broke in on her lovely moment, and she felt a scowl trying to overtake her features. "Hey, dance is over. Give me my date back, Damon." Elena took her eyes from Damon's, instead looking at the man she for some reason called _her boyfriend_.

"Why don't you ask her to come to you yourself? Afraid she'll say no?" taunted Damon.

Suddenly, it clicked. They were putting her in the middle. She was like their new 'Katherine'. She ripped herself from Damon's still-lingering hold. Shooting them both glares, she turned and stormed from the manor. She could hear Stefan calling after her. She didn't care.

The cool night air did little to calm her anger. Her hurt. What was she to them? And why were they both so into her? There were trillions of people on the planet, and while, yes, Mystic Falls was more limited, there were enough girls that the Salvatore's shouldn't have to fight over one. Was she just part of some trivial competition? Whoever gets the girl wins?

There was no way she could be with either of them if they kept this up.

"Elena, why don't you come back inside with me?" It was Stefan. He had finally reached her.

As it so happened, she wasn't in the mood to be reached. "Stefan..." She made sure to stare straight into his eyes, standing up at her full height. "What am I to you?"

"...what? Elena, did Damon say something?" The worry in his eyes only further upset her.

"Does it matter? What does he have to do with what I mean to you? Is it because I'm like some chew toy between the two of you? Whoever gets me is the alpha dog?"

"No, Elena, of course not. Damon is just putting things in your head- trying to ruin our relationship." He took her hands into his. "Don't you see? This is what he wants."

She yanked her hands from his grip, stuffing them into her pockets and out of reach. "I'm not asking about what he wants. I'm asking about what you want. From _me_." He opened his mouth, perhaps to reply, but she was done with his stupid responses. He gave no answers- just excuses. "Don't. Just _don't_, Stefan. Until you can give me an answer, we're done."

S.W.

Elena stared unseeingly at the house across from hers, the cold of her patio porch seeping through her thin dress. She couldn't go in. Not yet. Not to Jenna's questions about why she was home early, or about how her date went.

She looked up at the sound of approaching steps, narrowing her eyes at the thought of Stefan. She relaxed ever-so-slightly when her eyes settled on Damon. "What are you doing here?" she questioned.

His expression suggested that even he wasn't sure. It was a second before he answered, perhaps gathering his thoughts. "I was just passing by." He searched her eyes. He must have seen what he was looking for, because he lowered himself so he was seated beside her on the porch. "I heard your fight with Stefan."

She sighed. "Is that why you're here? To rub it in?"

"Yeah. I took time out of my day just to come here and mock you," he joked. Light tone fading into one of seriousness, he said, "I was making sure you're ok."

Elena gazed at him, unsure what to make of it all. "Damon, what exactly do you want from me? What am I to you?"

She had been expecting some sarcastic comment, or perhaps a brush off. So, when he gently framed her cheek with his left hand, skin tingling from the contact, she was taken aback. "What are you to me?" he repeated. "You're the one person that can take everything else in the world out of my mind, and replace it all with thoughts of you. You're the one person that I desperately wish to touch... but also to protect and keep safe. Elena, you're the one person that's going to be my undoing." His eyes reflected the sincerity of his statement, even as they portrayed confusion.

Elena felt tears pricking at her eyes, unused to such passion being directed at her. She lifted a hand, placing it over the one on her face and intertwining their fingers. He gently wrapped an arm around her, and she snuggled up to his side, watching the streetlight-darkened sky.

B.G.

_Miss Flowers' Bed and Breakfast. _The sign shone brightly over the dimly lit motel. A dark-haired woman stood in lingerie in front of a mirror in her room.

"So why are we going to Mystic Falls again?" asked a sandy blond male lounging, hair disheveled, on the bed.

"I told you, I have some business to take care of there," she said, pursing her lips at her reflection.

"But Katherine," he complained, "there's nothing there for us. Visiting will just bring up unwanted questions with my family and then there's the full moon coming up..."

"It is precisely for that reason that we need to go. I left something there, and I need you to retrieve it for me. After that we'll never have to set foot in that town again. We can go wherever you wish, Mason."

'Mason' smiled at this, getting up from the bed. He wrapped his arms around Katherine's lithe form. "Then to Mystic Falls it is."

**Disclaimer: Don't own. How is it possible? After all these years of thinking I owned- nah, never mind. **

**Hope you enjoyed! Feedback is appreciated!**

**Apocalyptic_sun_**


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